Day at the Beach
by Bitway
Summary: Fran was never given a chance to experience a beach before. So, Tenma decides to take her to one. {tenfran}


"Come on, Fran!" Tenma shouts while waving to her, a warm smile on his face. "It'll be okay, trust me!"

She hesitates, gaze dropping down to her feet. Toes curled as if to keep away from the welcoming sand. The pavement was safer, more familiar. It was something she was used to walking upon. But the sand? She had never experience it before. Or a beach for that matter.

With a breath, she gathers the courage to move forward. A single step is taken. Flesh meets with an odd texture. Unlike the hard cement, the sand is softer, warmer, powdery. It was like nothing she's ever felt before.

So, she takes another step. And another.

The more steps she takes the more she feels that she could sink further into it if not careful.

A smile begins to grow on her face as the fear of the unknown disappears. She walks upon the sand as if she's done so her whole life. When she lifts her gaze, she finds Tenma had returned to her side. He wore a matching smile, if not brighter.

"You have to experience the water too!"

Without another word, he takes her hand in his before beginning to lead her to the ocean. She's able to keep up with his excited hops. If the large body of water wasn't so appealing, she'd be admiring his smile more.

The ocean was something only ever read in books to her. They had made it sound magical. Water spread across the world, going even further than the eye could see. It held mysteries and wonders underneath, something only few could ever experience. But, the view from above was far more enchanting than she ever thought. Those descriptions in novels could never do it justice.

Distracted by beauty of the waves, the reflection of the sun against the water, Fran doesn't realize when the change in sand occurs. It had become softer than before, damp, colder. When an unexpected wave laps against her feet, she lets out a yelp.

"Are you okay?" Tenma asks, head turning to her. "If it's too cold you don't have to jump in further."

"I'm okay, Tenma," she responds. "I just wasn't expecting that." A short, quiet giggle escapes once she realizes how silly it seemed to be startled by water.

The boy waits for a moment, wanting to see if she is truly alright being here. But when he sees that smile appear, that real, genuine one and the sparkle in her eyes, the one that appears whenever she's found something amazing and new in the world- he knew that she would be just fine here.

"I'm going to go further okay? You can come to if you want."

Tenma lets go of her hand before rushing into the water. He keeps to the shallow part of the beach, never trudging too far. Only enough so the waves could splash against his stomach.

Fran watches him playing and splashing around. While she wishes to venture further, to join him, she'll wait for another day. For now, she wanted to appreciate the sight, to keep it safe in her memories.

She walks along the beach, enjoying the wet sand in between her toes. When her head turns, she's able to see just how far she's ventured from her first step. It may seem like a small distance for those in this time, but to her it was a big accomplishment.

A change in the sand causes her stop. It grabs her attention, makes her look down to find the issue. Fran had stepped on something. Cold, hard- smooth? Curious, she bends down, fingers pressing against the sand and the mystery object hiding underneath it. Water laps over it, wanting to keep it hidden, but she digs it out before it could be gone forever.

In her hand is a molluscan seashell. After brushing off the sand, it's able to show off it's true colors. Against the light it shines brightly, showing off different shades. It was like a rainbow when held at just the right lighting.

"Tenma!" She calls out for him. The boy rushes to her side in no time.

"What is it?"

"Look what I found!"

She holds out the rainbow shell to him and his eyes sparkle. A '_woah_' comes from him before taking it from her hand. Now he holds it, trying to see it shine against the sun's rays.

"Its so pretty!"

"Isn't it? I didn't think shells would ever be this color."

"I think you usually find these deeper in the water. You must be really lucky to have found one here, Fran." Just as he's about to hand it back to her, he stops. "Oh! I have an idea. Do you mind if I take this?"

Her head tilts, curious, before she shakes it.

"Okay! I'll be right back- wait here!"

While confused, she listens to him. Fran watches the boy run off, headed towards the stall that sold goods to be used at the beach. She pulls her gaze off of him and back to the ocean, watching the waves and enjoying the sounds of water crashing down upon itself. She takes a step further, letting the water splash above her ankles. The water still sends a cold chill throughout her body before deciding to turn back.

Leaving the wet sand to return to the dry part, she finds a spot to sit. Here, she begins to let her fingers run through the sand. Picking it up, holding it and watching it slip through her fingers.

The laughter of children nearby catches her attention. When she looks up to find them, she sees them doing the same, playing with sand. But, they're making something out of it.

"A sand castle…" The words leave her lips quietly. She'd forgotten that was something people could do here. And now was her chance to try and make her own.

It's more difficult than she originally thought. The sand isn't hard enough to stay in place and making a pile can only go so high. Perhaps it was the lack of tools that made this simple feat so hard. A small pout forms before deciding to use her own 'tool' for making the sand stay in place.

Eyes dart around before figuring that she's safe, no one was watching her. So, her hands begin to have a light glow around them, its easy to hide it while burying them into the sand and lifting up the bits around her. She uses her abilities to keep the sand in place, make it firm enough that it the sand would stay in the shape of the castle she was building. It wasn't perfect, only a copy of what she'd seen the kids trying to build, but she was happy with the outcome.

"I'm back! Sorry for the wait!" Tenma breathes out as he stands beside her. A huge grin plastered on his face. "Did you make that?"

"I did. Does it look alright?" She asks, worried that she may have made the sand castle 'wrong'.

"Yeah! I like it. I have to build my own to." Tenma sits down beside her, ready to get started before remembering what he was supposed to do first. "Oh, right. I have a surprise for you."

That smile on his face seems to only grow bigger after saying that. His hand goes into his trunks' pocket. He keeps the surprise hidden by keeping his hand firmly wrapped around it until he holds it out to her.

In the palm of his hand was the shell that she'd found. It was now cleaned and had been turned into a necklace. There were a few beads around the string and underneath the shell's shiny exterior, a familiar flower had been engraved into it.

"Tsunami-nii taught me how to make these!" An unknowing blush appears on his cheeks. "I thought you might like it to keep a souvenir from your first trip to the beach."

Fran is speechless. Not even a gasp could escape from her. It was a sweet memento, something she would cherish always. Slowly, she reaches out to take the necklace from him.

"I…I love it, Tenma…" She can't hide the smile on her face, even as she puts the necklace on. The shell rests right upon her chest, shining its bright and many colors. "Thank you."

"You're welcome! I'm glad you like it, Fran. Now it's time for me to make a sand castle to."

With a determined look, his focus had turned to the sand. He would try his best to match her without the help of buckets or shovels. His enthusiasm for building it was cute. It made her want to build another one, this time without her abilities and one she could make together with him.


End file.
